A Rose in a City of Thorns
by lady pearl2005
Summary: In a city that is embraced in lies and greed Sasuke finds his light in the form of a simple girl with a dark past. But her dark past and his job become intwined and he must choose between the duty to his work or his heart. Sasu/Saku
1. Chapter 1

A Rose in a city of Thorns

Hi, my name is Sasuke Uchiha and I'm a secret agent for an organization called Ninja. Our job is to clean up the mess the CIA and the other guys leave behind. In a way we're the ones running the world and making sure that everything runs like clockwork. I'm the leader of a unit known as 'Hidden Leaf' and my team and I help maintain the peace in a city that is shrouded with sin, greed and violence. But in the city my partners have manage to find their light in this world. Kiba my man in charge of our dog unit met up with a girl named Mina, who just happens to run an animal clinic in the countryside. She's a sweet girl and very patient with Kiba and happy. Our resident geek/nerd/computer genius/lazy bum Shikamaru ended up with a girl that keeps him on his toes. Her name is Temari Suna and she is one bossy bitch which is good for Shikamaru cause he gets his work done and isn't asleep at his desk during work hours. One of our Medical specialists a girl named Ino found a guy by the name of Sai who keeps her mind on him instead of me. Which is good cause I don't need another fan girl following me around wanting me to sleep with them.

Now my idiot partner and his soon to be cousin in law are a real special case, cause no one knows how they managed to keep their girls. Neji is one of my top gunman and an expert when it comes to hand to hand combat met his match at the hands of a five time Judo champion and undefeated Kung Fu master, TenTen. Of course when they met it was love at sixth pin. And I mean Neji literally pined her on the sixth pin cause she pinned him the first five times until he finally got the drop on her and then some. Now my partner Naruto is a special case, this is because of the fact that the girl that he is seeing just happens to be Neji's cousin, Hinata. And despite his tendency to be an idiot, klutz, clown, slacker, moron, incompetent fool, etc, etc…he actually seems to be thinking right when it comes to her. And why she said yes to marry him is beyond me but that's them.

Now while everyone has someone special to them, I however have yet to find that special someone. That is until I met Sakura Haruno, the one girl in this whole world that drives me nuts. But I'm moving ahead of myself; let me take you back to when I first met her.

(Two years ago: Late winter)

It was a normal day at the office and when I mean normal I mean Shikamaru was asleep at his desk. Neji was putting ice on the lump he received from his last sparring session with TenTen. Kiba was being a pervert with Mina over the phone while she was trying to tell him something important. Naruto for his part was doing his work, but was also eating his lunch at the same time. Which I don't mind one bit since his lunch partner is Hinata. Since he has someone to eat with him now, my afternoons have been…dull. Which brought me back to the work that Ino was supposed to have on my desk before she left today, and never received.

"Nara where is Ino at, she never came in today with those reports I asked her for." Sasuke turned to see Shikamaru still asleep on his desk with mountains of paperwork surrounding him as he once again was asleep.

"Uchiha give it up, you know that once he falls asleep that there is no waking him up. Heck the only one who can wake him up would be Temari and she's at the hospital right now tending to her brother Kankuro." Sasuke just sighed when he heard that. True his team was one of the best, but there were days that he wished that they would do what they were told before they did whatever they wanted.

"Well where did she go anyway? It's not like her to run off for no reason besides to see that boyfriend of hers" Sasuke then went about the task of working on his other paperwork that he had while the other tried to remember why she left in the first place.

Kiba who had just gotten off the phone with Mina was the first to speak up for he remembered Ino asking him to watch her Dalmatian, Dolly for the day while she was out.

"Chill Sasuke, she just went to go pick up a friend of hers that's moving into the city. Apparently her friend was having some trouble back home and decided to move out here with Ino and a few other friends. Why I don't know, but one thing is certain whoever got this girl upset is in for the ass whooping of their lives from Ino" Kiba laughed a little for he knew how protective and downright dangerous when she was mad at someone.

"Oh and did she say when she was going to be back too Kiba? Because I need those reports and she just up and leaves in the middle of the day. *groans* Why does she do this to me? And in any case she needs to get back before-,"

*BEEP-BEEP*

Sasuke stopped mid sentence and Naruto stopped stuffing his face with noodles for a moment and turned to his partner then back to his fiancée for a moment.

"Hey Hinata-hime I think Sasuke needs to take this call in private so why don't I drive you home so you can get ready for our dinner-date tonight? Or we could just skip dinner and move straight to dessert *Husky sexy Growl*" Hinata just giggled as her Naruto took her out of the room and down to their car.

Meanwhile Sasuke and the others stayed and listened to their latest mission assignment from HQ. And this one was one hell of a mission for them.

"You know Kakashi you have the worst timing known to man. If Naruto hadn't taken Hinata out of the room, we all would have been busted. Now what is the mission this time Kakashi and please tell me it's not guarding the sultan's daughter again." Sasuke heard his chief laugh behind his mask and then began telling them about their mission. Sasuke would just have to tell Naruto when he got back from taking Hinata home.

Meanwhile across the city, Ino and Sai were at the airport waiting for her long time friend Sakura to get off and meet them. Ino was overjoyed to hear from her longtime friend and former roommate was coming to stay in her town. Ino and Sakura were very close as children and she knew of all of Sakura's problems. One of which was with her step father and step brother. The second problem was the reason she's moving here. Ino had received a call last week from her about Sakura's mother dying in her sleep and her not feeling safe in her own home anymore. Ino didn't have to be told twice about her living with her at all. Sakura was like family and she would always be welcomed in her home. Now she was busy trying to find out where the hell she was. I mean a girl with pink hair and a wide forehead like hers can't be hard to miss.

"Oh…where is she and why hasn't she come out of the plane? I'm beginning to worry about her Sai. Sai….are you listening to me?" Ino turned her attention to her boyfriend to find out why he wasn't listening to her and found him looking out on the runway at what looked like an ambulance and a girl with pink hair…wait pink hair!?!?!

"SAKURA!!!!" Ino and Sai rushed down to the runway before the ambulance could drive away and rode in the back with her friend. Once at the hospital Sakura was taken into the ER and Ino made a few phone calls, one being to Sasuke and the others telling them to meet her at the hospital.

"Come on Sasuke, quit being a dick and pick up your damn phone already." After the fourth ring Sasuke picked up. Ino then told him to meet her at the hospital and she would explain everything once he got there.

*One hour later*

"Okay Ino now tell me this one more time…what happened to your friend and why did I have to send Naruto and Shikamaru to the airport to talk to the crew?" Ino for her part took a deep breath and turned to Sasuke and tried to tell him what happened to her friend without breaking down again.

"Okay from what my partner Dr. Seiryu said, my friend was hurt before she got on the plane just she didn't notice. And knowing her and her stubborn nature she was determined to get out here one way or the other. From what I've been told she got into one hell of a scrap with whoever did that to her. I was told that she had severe bruising and she was cut on the lower right side of her hip. Dr. Seiryu said that she'll live but she'll be on bed rest for a sometime but there's a good reason for that. My partner mentioned something about doing a tattoo removal on her." Sasuke gave Ino a weird look and Ino's face became very stern as she continued with her story.

"Sasuke someone in her family put the Red Dragon seal on her. And you and I both know that people from that clan have a tendency to disappear for no reason. Sakura doesn't deserve that fate. And I think I know what happened to her mom too. You see the last time I saw her mother she was weak very weak and was holding her arm a lot. Then I noticed one time before her and Sakura left the city that she had the Red Dragon tattoo on her arm. Sasuke her mother was murdered by those guys and Sakura was next on their list. I can't lose her and she doesn't need any more drama in her life. Losing her mom hit her hard enough and it will take a while for her to get over that. What she needs right now is to be around people that care for her and people she can trust." Ino heard Sasuke give a blunt grunt at the last thing she said.

"You mean like a trusting friend like you who just happens to be a part of a secret organization that is devoted its life to protected everyone on this planet and you think she'll be as forgiving to you for lying to her all this time, Ino?" Sasuke knew that Ino meant well by her friend and only wanted to protected but now her friend was involved in a war that they had been fighting for years and she would be caught in the crossfire if she wasn't careful.

"Sasuke I know, but I just want her to be safe and away from whatever or whoever did this to her. So I had an idea to give her a job working with us and before you say anything Sasuke listen to what I have to say first. She won't be working in the field with us, more so she'll be working with you and helping you get your paperwork done and stop complaining to me about getting it done. I had hoped that she would have finished med school with me and she was only two years away from earning her Master's degree in medicine too. But this is just until she can get on her feet. _'And if I play my cards right she can become a permanent part of your life Sasuke. Among the lot of us who deserve to be happy, you deserve it far more than any of us. And I'll see to it that you find your happiness.' _Now what do you say, sound like an idea to you?" Ino waited for Sasuke to answer hoping that he would agree and let her friend work as his assistant for a while.

"And you promise that she'll get the work done and won't run off in the middle of the day like you do? The last thing we need is another you running around." Sasuke saw a vein appear on Ino's forehead and knew he hit a sore spot.

"I promise you Sasuke that Sakura will be the best assistant you've ever had. And she makes a mean carrot cake too and the best butter cookies these lips have ever tasted. I promise you she'll get the job done. Just promise me that you will be careful about what you say around her. Her mom's death is still on her mind and it will be a while before she gets over that. Also I was wondering if she could stay with you for a bit until she finds her own place and before you say anything think for a moment, if she stays with me she'll feel as though she's taking advantage of my generous off. If she stayed with Shikamaru and his girl she probably get killed by Temari and drive Shikamaru up the wall. Naruto and Hinata are out of the question since Neji is determined to get him to walk down that aisle to his cousin a good man with no past problems with women, or have you forgotten about Karin and her harem of women that tried to ruin their relationship because you called her a slut over the PA system and practically ruined her social life?" Ino knew about Karin's little attempt to break those two up and it ultimately backfired on her.

"And Neji and Kiba are out of the question, cause of TenTen and Kiba's dog squad that seem to rule over his house. True if it was just one dog it wouldn't be a problem but Kiba has about twenty to thirty dogs living with both him and Mina. And Sakura is not use to being around big dogs like his. And I don't know how Dolly would react to her since she's never seen her before. Please Sasuke, I promise she won't be any trouble." Ino gave her best puppy dog eyes knowing that Sasuke would give in like he always does.

"Alright, alright Ino you win she'll stay with me until she can find a place of her own and that's it. Now when is she supposed to get out of the hospital?" Ino just smiled and hugged the man who was like a big brother to her.

"Well let's go check to see if we can get her out of here today. Cause if I know her she'll try to check herself out and try and find me later." Sasuke just shook his head and followed the blonde woman he saw as a sister to find out where her friend was.

Meanwhile Naruto and Shikamaru just got through talking to the crew to find out what had happened and to say that they were pissed is an understatement. Naruto couldn't believe that people as stupid as that didn't once check on the girl to see if she was alright. He was so mad that he was seeing red which is why Shikamaru was driving.

Shikamaru for his part just wanted to get back to HQ to get the blood samples he found to the lab. Also whatever was behind this girl's seat that would give off small traces of radiation and not arose suspicion in the other passengers. And why couldn't he get a straight answer out of the crew. Well he had time to wonder about that later, right now he had to get back to the office and the sample he got to the lab.

Meanwhile back at the hospital, Sasuke and Ino were on their way to greet Sakura who had just woken up from the surgery and was feeling just fine.

*KNOCK-KNOCK*

"Hey Forehead how are you feeling after being under the knife for two hours?" Ino didn't miss the small vein that appeared on her friends face when she called her by her old nickname for her.

"Oh I feel just fine Ino-pig I always enjoy going to the hospital after I pass out after a flight" Sakura was far from fine and Ino knew it. If Sakura was being this sarcastic then she was far from fine.

"Sakura what happened to you before you got on the plane? The doctor said that you were in one hell of a scrap before you got here. Sakura what happened to you before you got here anyway for you to end up like that?"

Sakura could tell that her friend was worried and she had every right to be. Heck the last time she ended up in the hospital was when they were kids and she fell off a tree and broke her leg trying to get her cat down. She knew that she couldn't lie to the one person who has been like a sister to her for so long.

"Alright I'll tell you what happened but you have to promise me Ino that you won't go crazy and kill someone."

"I promise Sakura just tell me what happened to you."

*sigh*

"Okay before I left I had a little run in with my stepfather. He wasn't so happy to find out that I was leaving town and tried to keep me there. Unfortunately for him I'm not so easy to deal with once I'm set on doing something. I had already packed up my stuff and had it shipped here but I wanted to get a few things that I left back at the house that belonged to my mother and I ran into him. And it was my sixteenth birthday all over again Ino. He didn't even care that my mom was dead at all. All he cared about was me giving up my inheritance to him and the next thing I know he and I are shouting and after that I was thrown thru the main window of mom's house. That was the first time he ever did something like that and the next thing I know I'm being kicked into the wall and pass out for a few minutes. When I woke up he was gone and after that I made a bee line for the airport and I guess you could say that the rest was history. The next thing I know I'm waking up here. Does that answer your questions Ino or would you like me to go into detail about all the things he said about you that I'd rather not repeat?"

That was the last straw in Ino's opinion. She knew that Sakura's stepdad was an ass and downright mean at times but she didn't think he could be this heartless. Ino and her family could tell that this man was no good and had a shady past. As Ino got older she figured out what Sakura's stepdad was. He was the leader of a gang that is wanted by the FBI and the CIA for murder, arson, smuggling, and the list goes on and on. That was one of the main reasons that Ino joined Sasuke's unit and became a medical specialist. She had hoped that Sakura would become a doctor along with her but Sakura had put her dreams on hold to help her mom.

"Sakura I promise I won't kill your stepdad but I can't promise that I won't cause him bodily harm the next time I see him. But everything will be fine. Oh and before I forget there's been a slight change in your living arrangements. You see I kinda forgot about your thing for big dogs and well my Dalmatian is kinda not use to meeting new people. And she's rather big for a dog of her breed so I asked my friend Sasuke if it was alright if you could stay with him. Just until you get on your feet and find a place of your own. So are you ready to meet him Sakura?" Sakura could tell that her friend was up to something but didn't have the strength to deal with it right now.

"Alright since I know you won't take no for an answer and I really don't have a place to stay; I guess staying with your friend would be alright. Just as long as he's not that Ramen obsessed freak you keep telling me about."

Both Ino and Sakura laughed at that joke and it made Ino happy to hear Sakura laughing like that.

"Okay you wait here and I'll bring him in and promise me you'll get along with him Sakura, okay?"

Sakura put on her best smile for her friend and watched as she left to retrieve Sasuke.

"Now Sasuke please be nice to her okay?"

"Fine just as long as she doesn't remodel my house I'll be fine with her Ino" Sasuke wasn't looking forward to this but kept a cool face around Ino so she wouldn't kill him.

"Sakura allow me to introduce the man you'll be staying with, Sasuke Uchiha. And Sasuke this is my long time friend who is going to be staying with you, Sakura Haruno." Ino had a smile on her face for she knew her plan was working since neither one of them had stopped looking at each other.

"Hi I'm Sakura and it's nice to meet you Mr. Uchiha" Sakura extended her hand to shake it only to have her hand kissed by the lips of the man that was going to let her stay with him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you but as long as we're staying together, you can call me Sasuke. Mr. Uchiha makes me sound old and I don't want that. And Miss Haruno I just have one rule in my home and that's no remodeling it while I'm either away on business or running certain errands. Think you can do that?"

Sakura just smiled and nodded her head yes to the man. "I understand perfectly but just so you know, I like to be called Sakura. If that's alright with you?"

Sasuke just smirked at the girl and nodded his head.

*To Be Continued*

*Well what do you think of this fanfic so far? I got this idea after watching CSI: Miami and the Unit with my Dad and it hit me, why not do a story like this. True it's not a crossover of the shows but it's kinda like it. For now just enjoy the story and I'll get back to you with more. Please review and I'll make more chapters. So until then…Ja Ne!!!*


	2. Chapter 2

A Rose in A City of Thorns (Chapter two)

*Last time everyone was introduced and Sasuke was introduced to Sakura for the first time. But now things are about to become more interesting since Sakura's stepfather has found out that she is still alive. And Ino has an idea that will get both Sasuke and Sakura together. But for now let's move on to when Sakura is getting to Sasuke's house…..

*Inside Sasuke's car*

Both Sasuke and Sakura were sitting in silence as Sasuke drove to his place. It has been two days since Sakura was discharged from the hospital and boy was she happy to get out of there.

"Umm…Sasuke could I ask you a few questions, the silence in this car is driving me crazy."

"Hn" Sakura took that as a yes and then began to ask her questions to her host.

"Okay first question, how did you meet up with my friend Ino anyway? I don't remember seeing you in our graduating class senior year." Sakura heard Sasuke laugh and made a right turn down the street where he lived.

"Well I met Ino about a year ago while I was looking for a place to stay. As luck would have it Ino was looking for a place to stay as well and a job. We both began to talk and had coffee and the rest is history" And it wasn't a complete lie since that's half of what happened. But Sasuke decided to leave out the bullet wound he received that day thanks to the mugs that tried to attack him.

"Hm…Ino never told me that. Okay second question: do you have any family living in the city or outside the city like in another town or something like that."

Sasuke had to think real quick since his family was split up doing their own thing. True they loved each other very much they just had their own lives and were living it. His brother Itachi was in the Russia with his unit working on trying to keep the peace there without losing their heads. His mother and father were off on a getaway to celebrate 20 years of marriage. The last that he heard from them, they were somewhere in Greece.

"Well I have and mother and father that live out in the country side and I have an older brother who is in Russia right now. And my parents are in Greece celebrating their wedding anniversary so they won't be back for another few weeks." Sasuke didn't want to let her know everything about his family and kept on telling her half truths about his life and family.

"That's nice to hear about your parents and my guess is your brother is studying abroad, huh?"

"Something like that Sakura. Now I have a few questions for you. For starters, how come you never got your Masters degree in medicine? Ino told me you never got a chance to finish and I want to know why."

Sasuke heard Sakura sigh and knew that it was a sensitive subject.

"Well it's not something I like talking about and I still don't know how to tell Ino about this. But it was in my senior year when my mom started to get really sick and was put in the hospital. As it turns out she was suffering from some kind of drug that she was taking and she was in the first stage of it. The procedure that could cure her cost a lot; which was around the cost of my tuition for that semester and it was a lot. My mom always told me that I should never give up on my dream and go for it no matter what. But my dream would mean nothing if she wasn't there with me. So I dropped out before I could finish my final year there. I told Ino that my mom needed me and I couldn't let her suffer alone in that hospital. I couldn't go to my stepdad for help as he couldn't give a damn about us, never has never will. After the operation mom started to get better but then I figured out that she wasn't living with my stepdad anymore and she was behind on a lot of things. So I decided to stay and help her get everything back to normal, financially speaking. Everything was fine for the first few months and I thought things were going to be alright, but then mom went to get her check up and came home looking white as a ghost. She told me that night that she ran into my stepdad at the hospital and the meeting didn't go so well. After that day my mom began to get sick again but this time it was worse. There were days that she couldn't even get out of bed and wouldn't eat. Mom didn't have to worry about the bills and stuff since I took care of that but there were days that I debated on going to work and leaving her there at our house by herself. To ease my mind I got my neighbor to go over and watch her while I worked. And that eased my mind a bit but one day I got a call from my neighbor saying that my mom had started coughing up blood and rushed her to the hospital. After that mom was to stay in the hospital under the careful eye of the doctors until she was well enough to go home. Every day I went to see to see if she gotten any better and the story was the same. I didn't find out until it was too late that someone had switched her medicine and gave her a new drug that had deadly side effects. One of the side effects was poisoning of the blood and her test showed that her blood had become toxic and it was eating her up on the inside. My mom knew that her time was almost up and called in the family lawyer, the one that read my real dad's will to us. Three days later my mom passed in her sleep, but not without asking the doctors to remove the tubes and wires from her body. My mom knew she was going to go and she wanted to go with painlessly. After that I talked to my mom's lawyer and found out that she had left me enough money to go back to college and finish so I could get my Masters degree. But that wasn't all I found out. I found out that my dad when he was alive had setup a trust fund for me and was to be turned over to me when I hit 21. But I couldn't use that money now that I lost mom. And I just gave up on my dream so I got a job at an office being a secretary. I saved up enough money to move out of the house that my mom and I shared and decided that living here would probably be better and to start anew. And the rest is history as they say; I ran into my stepdad and ended up in a hospital and now I'm in a car with you. Any more questions for me Sasuke?"

"Yes as a matter of fact I do have a few more questions for you. Like what is your stepdad's last name?" Sasuke had a funny feeling that his team's next target is her stepdad.

"Not that I want to think about it but its Yue Yamata. After mom left him she went back to the name she had when she married my real dad, Ken Haruno. Does that answer your question Sasuke?"

"Yeah it does, and final question do you mind eating out for dinner cause I doubt that there is anything edible in my fridge since it's been a while since I've been home and my guess is that a good portion of it has spoiled well past its date."

Sakura just smiled at her host and shook her head.

"No that's alright besides you can take me to the stores to get some food later anyway."

Sasuke knew he should have kept his big mouth shut. He hated shopping, even when he was a kid and his mother just had to take him shopping in every single store.

"And don't worry it's just to the grocery store to get some food and cleaning supplies. Since I'm staying with you for a bit I might as well do my fair share of the cleaning and don't worry I won't remodel your place I promise." Soon both Sasuke and Sakura pulled into Sasuke's drive way.

"Wow…this is your place; it looks like something out of Better Homes & Gardens Sasuke. It's beautiful and it comes with a koi pond and everything." Sakura couldn't believe that she was going to stay in this beautiful house.

"Yeah well my mom was the one that suggested that my house look like this as a reminder of home. In a way it helps and then it just makes me think of my family and how much I wish that they would visit more often. But enough about that, let's get your stuff inside and I'll show you the guest room. Hope you don't mind sharing a room with dust bunnies."

Sakura laughed and followed Sasuke into his home and received the grand tour of the house.

Meanwhile across town; Shikamaru was getting the results of the sample that he brought to the lab and was not looking forward to telling this to Ino. One headache was enough and speaking of headaches, his was going round two in the gym with his girlfriend, either sparring or fucking whichever came first.

Once Shikamaru made it to the gym he found that he was right and they were in the middle of another fucking session of the gym floor. This was so because the door was locked and there was a 'Closed for Private Session' sign on the door and decided to see if Naruto had calmed down a bit. Then decided that it would be a bad idea to interrupt Naruto when he was venting his anger, so that left Kiba to talk to. And as luck would have it, Kiba was in his office looking through files of suspects that had eluded the police in the past few weeks.

"Hey Kiba, can I talk to you for a few minutes I need you to run a favor for me before you go off on your assignment. I need your dog's nose to track down an old friend of ours. You remember Mort from the drug bust three years ago? Well as it turns out he's here in the city, and believe it or not he's trying to hide from the guy we're looking for. And I need you to bring Mort here so he can spill his guts or become Naruto's next punching bag whichever comes first. So you think you can do that for me Kiba, I have to get back to the labs and run some more test. Also see if you can get Tsunade for me. I have a funny feeling that she's been looking for Ino for some time now and is ready to either kill her or us. And knowing our luck with women lately I'm not taking any chances. So please find her before she finds us…oh and Mina called she said she needs you to pick up a package from her mom at the post office today for her. She do it herself but with four of your dogs expecting puppies any day now, she has her hands full and is on call right now."

"He Shikamaru no problem and I was going to get that anyway for Mina. And as for Mort, he's as good as caught so don't worry. He'll be here before you know it. He might need rabies shots after this but he'll be here. Hey have you seen Naruto, I've been meaning to talk to him all afternoon."

"How troublesome, he's working off some steam right now and talking to him is near impossible at the moment. Unless you feel like losing a left testicle to him at the moment." Shikamaru saw Kiba shake his head 'no' and went for the door with three tracker dogs following him.

"Thanks but no thanks Shikamaru, I learned my lesson the last time I got into to it with him and he was mad. And after having nine stitches and a broken leg cause of him, I'm not taking any chances. I'll see you in a few hours." And like that Kiba and his dogs were out the door and on their way to track down their favorite stool pigeon.

As Shikamaru made his way back to the lab he decided to risk it all and check on his friend. He had half expected to see the dojo half destroyed, but to his amazement he found it in one piece. All that needed to be replaced was a few punching bags and dummies. But what got Shikamaru's attention was the fact that Naruto was sitting on one of the benches just looking at something in his hand. Then it hit him, Naruto was thinking about how his mom died and then it made sense.

"Hey…I see that the dojo is still standing Naruto."

Naruto didn't answer but nodded his head and continued to look at the last family picture that he and his family took.

"Naruto I got the results back from the lab and I know this might not be what you want to hear at the moment, but it's the same stuff that got your mom sick. But that's not all and please promise me you won't kill me for this, but there was a small trace of DNA with this stuff and it's from the same guy that ended up shooting your mom years ago. Naruto the man was Yue Yamata and he's back to finish what he started years ago."

Shikamaru saw his friends' muscles tense but what he didn't notice was Naruto's fiancée right out the door listening to the conversation and was shocked at what she heard. A knock broke them out of their stupor.

"Um…Naruto-kun can I talk to you alone for a few minutes?"

Naruto knew that this conversation was coming and knew that he couldn't avoid it any longer.

"Hey I'll leave you two alone for a bit I got to get back to the labs and check on my other samples. And Naruto, please lock the door this time and Neji is right down the hall just so you know." And like that Shikamaru left the two alone.

"How much did you hear Hinata-chan?"

"I came in on Shikamaru talking about your mother being shot by a man named Yue Yamata. Naruto why didn't you ever tell me about what happened to your mom before? And why haven't I met your dad either? Are you two not speaking because of your mother's death or is it something else? Please Naruto why won't you talk to me!?!?! YOU PROMISED-MHP!?!?!" Hinata was cut off by her Naruto's lips on hers. And after ten minutes of kissing each other senseless they let up, that and they needed to breathe.

"Please forgive me Hinata-chan, but talking about my mom is a sensitive subject and as for my dad; the reason you haven't met him is because he doesn't know that I'm engaged yet and before you jump to conclusions it's not any of the reasons your thinking. You see my dad has been trying for the past five years get both companies under control and working together as one single company. And it's been taking up most of his time. And with mom gone that wasn't an easy task. But my dad is a stubborn man and refused to give up. Not when he had me to raise by himself. After I went to college my dad really put his time into keeping the companies from going under and killing each other. That was around the time when I met up with Sasuke and the others. My dad lets me know that he's still alive every now and then and sends gifts galore when he has the chance. Heck my godfather and I have a bet going to see if he will forget my birthday one of these years. And so far I haven't lost yet. After that I met up with you and you could say the rest is history. It's not that I don't want to let him know about us, it's just that he is so close to achieving his goal. And when that happens I want you to be by my side when I show you off to my father and to welcome you into the family then we can begin that family you promised me two nights ago" Naruto gave a husky growl and began to shower her neck in kisses and for once didn't pounce on his fiancée and pound into her like a mad man. But enough about them, let's move on to see what Sasuke and Sakura are up to.

*Sasuke's house*

"Thanks again and keep the change." Sasuke handed $30 dollars to the delivery man for their dinner which was Chinese food.

Sasuke ordered the Beef and Pepper with a side of chow mein noodles and spring rolls. Sakura had ordered the house special lo mein (my favorite) with a side of kung po shrimp and sweet and sour chicken. The whole order had come up to $28.39 but Sasuke didn't mind.

"Hey if you had just taken me to the store I could have bought some food and cooked for both of us and if Ino said I couldn't cook well she's lying."

"No it's not that, it's just the fact that it's late and I'm tired and my guess would be is your tired too. I'm off tomorrow so we'll head out tomorrow to go shopping. But be prepared to get up early so we can do this and get back here, okay" Sasuke turned to see Sakura nod her head cause her mouth was full of sweet and sour chicken at the moment.

Both Sasuke and Sakura continued to eat in silence for the next ten minutes until the phone rang and the caller ID read 'Ino' on it.

"What is it this time Ino? You know that I don't like talking to anyone this late at night."

"_Sasuke you don't like talking to anyone last time I checked"_

"I don't like repeating myself so just tell me what you want so I can go back to eating Ino."

"_*sigh* Okay so you remember that sample that Shikamaru took back the lab to examine it? Well there was some DNA on it as well and it was from get this, Yue Yamata and Naruto is on edge or at least he was until he talked to Hinata about his problems and God bless this woman for loving that fool."_

"So I take it Naruto was not so happy about finding out that the man that shot his mom is running around again?"

"_You could say that but at least we don't have to remodel the dojo again like last time. But that's not what worries me. What worries me is the fact that Sakura's stepdad is stupid enough to think that we wouldn't find him and take him down and speaking of my dear wonderful, talented, sweet, charming and did I mention SINGLE friend; how is she doing Sasuke-nee-chan?"_

"Ino I know what you're trying to do and no I'm not going to go along with this plan of yours so forget it." Sasuke's couldn't stand it when Ino tried to get him to date. Heck Karin was his last girlfriend and she was the biggest shrew/slut known to man and what he saw in her was beyond him. And calling her a slut over the PA system was one of the best things that he'd ever done. Nobody messes with his teammates especially when one of them just happens to be his best friend.

"_Sasuke I know you don't want another Karin running around and hopefully she never reproduces a clone like her in a million years. But you should give Sakura a chance, and besides she unlike Karin knows how to cook. Like I said she makes a mean Carrot Cake. And I already know your policy on sweets in your place so don't remind me."_

"Ino not to be rude but is this call going to take any longer cause I got to get up in the morning to take Sakura shopping for food and stuff." Sasuke for some odd reason could hear the sneaky smile that was creeping on Ino's face right this moment.

"_Sure just promise me that you'll be a good boy and play nice with Sakura-chan, BYE!!!!"_

Sasuke could swear that he could hear her laughing from half way across this sin ridden city. But Ino was right about her friend Sakura. She was definitely not like most girls he'd met. And he was curious about how well she could cook. That and she had a killer body to boot and was wondering what she was hiding under that big t-shirt and black sweat pants.

"Hey Sasuke remind me to put a feather duster and lemon cleaner on the shopping list so I can clean this room and possibly the rest of the house too."

Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing and began to wonder if she was real or a figment of his imagination brought on from too much eating out.

"Sure thing Sakura and good night"

"Goodnight Sasuke see you in the morning."

As Sasuke watched Sakura closed the door to the guest room he made his way to his room and sat down on his king sized bed to think.

How long has it been since he had dated? True Karin was a mistake and a crime against man, but that alone shouldn't keep him from finding happiness. And Sakura was everything he was looking for in a woman. That and she actually knew how to cook and use real ingredients and not that microwavable stuff too. Sakura was a catch that came along once in ten years. And far be it from Sasuke to turn down a catch. But he had to put her to the test first. Starting Monday Sakura was going to be put through the ultimate test. It was time to put Operation Girlfriend test in action.

"Sakura prepare for hell come Monday morning cause I'm going to run you ragged." And with that Sasuke fell asleep thinking about Sakura in a not so innocent way that involved her bound and gagged on his desk in nothing but her underwear and a dildo go in and out of her.

*To Be Continued*

_*Well there's chapter two of this story for you all and I'm sorry for the long wait. I'm working on it as fast as I can. Enjoy this chapter and please review also. So until next time….Ja Ne!!!*_


	3. Chapter 3

A Rose in a City of Thorns (Chapter three)

* * *

*_Last time Sasuke and Sakura got to know each other while on the drive to Sasuke's place. Sakura then reveals a part of her past that brought her out there in the first place. As they were eating dinner which was take out, Sasuke decided that it was time for him to have another female in his life and home. So he decided that come Monday morning Sakura was going to be put through the ultimate test to not only see if she would make the perfect secretary but the perfect girlfriend for him. Now it's Sunday morning and Sakura and Sasuke are getting ready to go shopping, but first they have to wake up and greet the day. But that might be a problem since Sasuke is having a very nice dream about said pink haired girl in the next room. Now let's join our friend as he dreams not so innocent about our pink haired girl…._

_Down a long hallway filled with pictures of former heads of the family along with their wives and family all lined along the hallway only to stop at a portrait of a young man in his early twenties in black and red rimmed suit standing next to a woman in a red and black dress that went down to her ankles wearing a ruby pendant around her neck and a red ribbon in her flowing pink hair and both are smiling in said portrait. Well the woman is smiling while said man holds a possessive smirk on his face as he held said woman in a possessive manner for the photo._

_And speaking of said couple we find them in the office just to the right of said picture, enjoying each other's company._

"_Ah! Sasuke-kun please I can't take this torture anymore! AH!" Said pink haired woman was currently tied to an office desk with her panties around one of her legs as said man is currently moving a dildo in and out of her dripping womanhood while he was looking over a contract for one of his business partners. All the while smirking with male pride at the sound his girl was making._

"_Now Blossom you and I both know that your punishment is far from over. I told you to never wear that bracelet and necklace that my bastard of a brother gave you during the day while we're working. So now my sweet, you have to endure another ten minutes of sweet torture from me sweetheart. And then after you have suffered you will receive the release that you wish for my sweet Blossom. And believe me when I say that you will enjoy this as much as I will enjoy giving it to you." Sasuke then began to slow down as he felt her muscles ripple slightly earning a groan from said pink haired woman who was close to her release._

"_You-r-re mean Sasuke-kun!" Said man just chuckled and continued his sweet torture on said woman. _

_Said woman then growled deep and yelled the words that her lover was waiting to hear since he started his torture of his woman._

"_ALRIGHT I'LL NEVER WEAR THIS NECKLACE AND BRACELET EVER AGAIN NOW WILL YOU PLAEASE JUT FUCK ME AND FUCK ME HARD! JUST PLEASE LET ME,-"_

"COME ON SASUKE WAKE UP AND GET READY! YOU WERE THE ONE THAT WANTED TO GO SHOPPING FOR FOOD AND STUFF AND IT'S ALREADY 7:30AM!

Sasuke woke for his wonderful dream with a look of arrogance and annoyance at the thought of being woken up. But Sasuke knew that he would never get back to sleep so decided to get up and get ready to do the one thing he's hated doing since he was a child; go shopping.

"I'm up Sakura, just wait downstairs for me. There should be some apples and oranges in the fridge for a quick breakfast until we get some more food if you're hungry." Sasuke then heard Sakura head for the kitchen and make a quick small breakfast while Sasuke went to take a quick shower to freshen up and to take care of his little "hard" problem in his boxers.

Meanwhile downtown we find a very frighten man running from not only three German shepherd dogs but on pissed off blonde boy with whiskers.

Said man then found himself blocked into a corner with trouble right behind him.

"Well Mort it looks like we finally caught up with you. Now why did you have to run half way across town anyway? And if you remember the last time, I think I mentioned how much I hate chasing stupid people early in the morning. And I would usually let Kiba and the others handle a guy like you," Said man that was in the corner then began to tremble with fear as said blonde came closer. Once in the light, Mort was able to see the one person that he was hoping not to run into ever again: Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. And it just so happens that Mort was caught trying to harm Naruto's fiancée an hour ago

"However, you made the mistake of sneaking into my home and try to harm my girl and that is something that I can't let go. So before I do something that would cause me to shed your unworthy blood; I'm going to let Kiba's dogs chew on you for a while and then I'll take you in for questioning." And like that the three German Shepherds that were chasing him then began the task of using him for a chew toy that screams bloody murder.

While the dogs were having their fun Naruto took out a cell phone and called Kiba to come and get not only his dogs but whatever was left of Mort. But before he dialed the number he saw one missed call from his father.

'_I wonder what dad wants and why he was calling me this early in the first place. But then again he does call me twice a month to let me know how he is. I'll call him when I get home, and speaking of home I better get something to cheer up Hinata. I wonder if the flower shop is open at this time. Hopefully they are so I can get her favorite lilies.'_

As Naruto began to wonder of all the ways to cheer up his girl he then saw Kiba pull up with Shikamaru who was carrying a first aid kit and a bottle of heavy duty aspirin for the headache he probably had from dealing with his girl last night.

"Long night with the little woman Shikamaru?"

"Shut the hell up Naruto I really don't need to hear this from you this early in the morning. And for your information the aspirin is not for me but for our friend Mort after Neji gets through with him for scaring the crap out of Hinata. And to answer your rebuttal about my long night with Temari, well let's just say she won't be up until noon since I kept her up last night." Shikamaru then followed Kiba with a smug look on his face while Naruto left in the other direction still wondering what his father wanted.

Meanwhile half way across the country in a mansion filled with sin and hatred we find Sakura's stepfather Yue Yamata looking over some papers while several of his men went about the task of beating the hell out of one man who had failed to report on an important project that they were working on a couple of years ago.

"One simple task is all I ask of you Sui and you manage to foul up that. You were supposed to make sure that Mort was anywhere but in the city. And thanks to you now I have the fucking CIA ON MY ASS! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO CLEAN UP THIS MESS YOU GOT ME INTO!" Sui then looked up with his blood covered face and spoke to said man that wanted answers before coughing up some blood that had filled his mouth.

"I-it was my understanding that dealing with this sort o-of problem was Kabuto's not mine. And besides, I told you that I didn't want anything more to do with you guys. I-I'm a clean guy now so what do you want, cause the only way you can get me to do anything is to kill me." Sui then heard said man laugh as he waved his hand to call off his men.

"Sui you seem to forget that we Yamata's have a way of making anything happen. Beside if there is one thing you care most about it's the ones that you hold near and dear to you. Like my stepdaughter Sakura." Yue saw Sui tense at the mention of his stepdaughter who he hoped was dead by now.

"I see I have your attention now Sui so I'll make this short and simple for you; I know you and my stepdaughter were both planning on becoming doctors and leaving this city behind the both of you. But as you know my late wife's delicate condition made it impossible for Sakura to finish Med School yet you on the other hand could have finished and gone on to better things. Is it possible that the two of you were planning on something more or did you find out something that you didn't want Sakura to find out about? Tell me Sui what do you know that I don't know and keep in mind the wrong answer will result in your legs being broken by Bruno and Boris. Now what did you hide with my daughter before she left and I want a straight answer this time," Sui saw the look of murder in Yue's face and knew for a fact the he was a dead man. But he'd gladly die then let Sakura be used by this parasite.

"Look I have no idea what you want with me and as far as I'm concerned my past relationship with Sakura is none of your business. But know this Yamata, my reasons for leaving med school was the same as hers; I had a sick relative to take care of. After that I chose a different path of life for myself. Now if you are through I would like to leave while I still have the use of my legs. Now if you please Mr. Yamata?" Sui could tell that Yue was not happy, but at the moment he was more concerned about calling an old friend of his and hoping he'd help him and soon.

"Fine you may go but know this Sui, my men and I will be watching you." And like that Sui picked up his hat that was knocked off when Yamata's goons knocked him in the head when he arrived.

Once out of the building that made his skin crawl, Sui decided to pay his friend a visit and hoped to every angel out there that she could help him.

Meanwhile with Sasuke and Sakura, they had just finished getting cleaning supplies and were now heading to the supermarket to fill up Sasuke's empty fridge at home. Of course Sakura was looking anywhere but at Sasuke who was looking rather smug at the moment.

"Oh come on Sakura you can't still be shocked about me asking you to move in with me are you? It makes perfect sense since you haven't found a place yet and looking for a decent apartment in this town is near impossible, especially nowadays and to top it all off you don't start working until Monday. Besides there have been a lot of crime inside the city, so staying in my neighborhood is the wisest decisions. And I also need someone to keep an eye on the place anytime I need to go out of town for business." Sasuke saw Sakura thinking from the corner of his eye and knew that she knew he was right. The other reason that Sasuke wanted her to stay with him was for her safety since Yamata was still on the loose and was bound to find her in this city.

"Well you do have a point there but I won't be living there for free and we need to set some rules for each other. I know you have your own set of rules but if I'm going to live with you I need to have my own. Now let's get some food and then head home 'cause I really would like to start cleaning up that room. I swear the dust bunnies were having a block party under that bed." Sasuke chuckled before he pulled into the parking lot of one of the biggest supermarkets in the city: Konoha-mart.

This store sold almost everything from food to hunting supplies. Of course Sasuke was planning to get in and out without losing his mind.

"Wow this place is bigger and a lot different than the farmer's market that I used to go to back home. Are you sure it's alright to shop here I mean this place must be expensive." Sakura got out of the car along with Sasuke and ran to keep up with him.

"Don't worry this place is one of the most popular and inexpensive stores in the city. Trust me you'll love this place. But if you want to go to a farmer's market, I can take you to one as soon as we get out of here. There's a farmer's market that about thirty minutes from where you and I will be working. It also just happens to be the best place to get the freshest tomatoes in the whole city." As both Sasuke and Sakura entered the store, Sasuke had this bad feeling that something bad was about to happen.

'_Why do I have this feeling of dread? And why does it feel like someone is watching me at this very moment?'_ Sasuke began to look around for anything out of the ordinary and found nothing but stayed alert to anything that might be out there.

But before Sasuke could go into complete soldier mode, his cell phone began to vibrate in his jacket pocket with a message from his brother that said to call him, immediately.

"Hey Sakura, I got to make a phone call real quick. Why don't you go look around the store for a bit until I finish with this call then I'll meet you in the housewares department in twenty minutes, that sound okay to you?" Sasuke saw Sakura nod her head before she went off to explore the store on her own.

Once out of sight, Sasuke called his brother to find out what his brother wanted that couldn't wait.

"Okay Itachi what is so important that you couldn't call me at the office on Monday, if you haven't noticed today is my day off." Sasuke was not looking forward to hearing whatever his brother had to say.

"_Look Sasuke I know you enjoy your days off as much as the next person but I thought you might like to know that Mort's friends, Loki and Blade are running lose in the city right now and I figured that Kakashi had the common sense to let you know in advance since they work for the man that you're looking for right now."_

"Okay now you have my attention Itachi, what do you know that I don't at the moment so what are you hiding. Cause this is my mission and I'll be damned if you interfere with this assignment. Now what do you know?" Sasuke then began to head towards the housewares department to look for Sakura but still kept his cellphone to his ear.

"_Okay look it seems that Yamata is on the war path and is searching for something or should I say someone little brother. It seems that Yue Yamata is on the search for someone he thought was dead and is looking for our favorite stool pigeon and trying to keep him as quiet as a church mouse._"

"So Mort does know something, but why would Yamata want him out of the picture? Usually he tries to save that rat's sorry ass so why the change of pace?"

"_I don't know little brother, but all I know is Loki and Blade are in the area and want blood. I'm just calling so you can prepare yourselves for just about anything._"

"Alright I'll be careful with those two and report anything I find. You just be careful yourself and call mom and dad. They sent me a text that says to call them. It would seem mother is growing impatient with you about finding a wife brother dear." Sasuke heard his brother groan at the thought of explaining to his mother why he had yet to find a nice girl and settle down.

"_I wouldn't talk little brother or have you forgotten that mother wants to have that conversation with you as well. Or is it unneeded since you have another woman with you? Tell me brother is the hair on her head the only thing that's pink on her body or is there more?_" Sasuke had to restrain himself from ending the call with his perverted brother when he quickly remembered something that was bugging him.

"Hey Itachi I need a quick favor from your techno master friend Sasori."

"_What do you need him for? The last time you talked to him you ended up getting him to reprogram the alarm on my car to play 'Surfin' Bird' in Peter Griffen's voice from Family Guy. And I still can't get it back to normal mind you._"

"Yah I know but I need him to look up the files of a man named Ken Haruno. That name sounds too familiar and I need to know if he was connected to Yue Yamata in anyway. I have a funny feeling that there's something about this guy that I don't think his own daughter knew about. Think he can do that for me?"

"_Sure no problem, he can do it and that name does sound very familiar to me too. Look my team and I will look into this while you keep an eye on you lovely and sexy new roommate and let me know when you decide to tap that ass of hers._"

Sasuke then hung up his phone the minute he saw Sakura in a lane filled with cooking supplies from toasters to woks.

"Oh hey Sasuke I was beginning to think that you had forgotten I was waiting for you. So shall we head for the grocery department of this store or are we going to look around more 'cause I would very much like to know where everything is in this store." Sasuke saw Sakura smirk a little and he took Sakura by the hand and lead her through the store. Unfortunately for both of them they had no idea that they were being watched by a pair of jealous filled eyes.

"How dare you choose another woman over me Sasuke? No matter I'll get rid of her and then you and I will be together. Your pink haired whore is in for a big surprise the next time I see her and there will be a next time Sasuke-kun." And like that the strange woman went out the store to call an old friend of hers to make Sasuke's life a living hell.

*_Well there you are my faithful, loyal and did I mention very forgiving and understanding readers; a new chapter to this story that has been on the back burner for some time now. And I apologize for that. But I plan on making it up to all of you with new chapters to all of my stories in the coming days. So please just be patient with me. So until next time….Ja Ne!_*


End file.
